LGA calls for councils to lead local strategic partnerships

Councils should have a more explicit leadership role in local
strategic partnerships to make the most of new funding freedoms for
localities, according to the Local Government Association,writes Mithran Samuel.

The LGA says local area agreements, under which spending
restrictions for around 100 government funding streams for local
agencies are relaxed, require stronger partnership arrangements
locally to deliver improved outcomes.

In a report last week, it calls for LSPs to be reshaped as local
public service boards. With council leadership, these could take
more collective responsibility for outcomes compared with LSPs in
their current form.

The government is currently undecided on public service boards,
though they are being trialled in 30 areas.

Local area agreements, which are being piloted in 20 areas, involve
local partners agreeing outcomes with the government in return for
funding freedoms. They will be rolled out to all areas by
2007-8.